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Nutella Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

So, what is the one of the best thing about working again? Playing cupcake fairy on birthdays! This week a girl at work turned 18 and I asked her what flavor(s) she wanted for her birthday cupcakes. She said chocolate with chocolate, maybe cream cheese, oh and nutella is awesome. As most of you know nutella baked loses a lot of the flavor and really it’s just cocoa and cream, but insanely addictive. Over all these cupcakes turned out really good, and if you like red velvet then you will really like these. The texture is similar and the flavors are too. I am quite proud of these and very pleased with the results. However, given that it’s 90 out and very sticky humid I did enjoy making these, but I am about to try out some steamed pudding recipes, turning the oven on in this heat is just becoming torturous. I am already looking forward to the snow.

As I tend to always make a half batch of what the recipe calls for, and I did that with these but wow it still made a lot. I was only looking to make 9-12 cupcakes and I ended up with 20. Not a huge ordeal but still shocked me. To me this is a lot, but some people this is an average batch. One thing that I did do to this batch to make it look well prettier, was I baked it higher for 5 min and continued baking it at normal temperature afterwards. This resulted in a nice puffy dome on the cupcake, which some love and others do not. Me? I like the big puffy dome on the cupcake if it’s going to be decorated with pipped frosting. It adds height and you can use less frosting and still make it stand tall.

Chocolate Nutella CupcakesMakes 20 Cupcakes

1/4 c + 2 tbsp Warm Water

1/4 c + 2 tbsp Cocoa Powder

1/2 c Nutella

1 1/2 c Unbleached Flour

3/4 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 c Milk

1 tsp Cider Vinegar

3/4 c (1 1/2 sticks) Unsalted Butter, room tempature

3/4 c Sugar

2 Whole Eggs, room temperature

Preheat the oven to 400°F and prepare two cupcake tins with liners.

In a small bowl combine the water and cocoa powder until smooth, add in the nutella and mix until smooth set aside.

In a bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.

In a cup combine the milk, vanilla, and cider vinegar and mix, set aside.

In the bowl of your mixer add the butter and sugar, mix on medium high speed until pale and fluffy, add in the eggs one at a time, mix until well combined. Add in the cocoa nutella mixture and mix until well combined, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.

Turn the mixer down to low and slowly add in half of the flour mixture, mixing until just combined.

Add all of the milk mixture slowly as to not splash out of the bowl, and mix until well combined, then slowly add in the remaining flour mixture once combined, turn to medium speed and mix for two minutes, any more would create bubbles in your cupcakes.. so be careful.

Divide the batter into your lined cupcake trays. Bake one tray at a time at 400°F for 5 minutes, turn the oven down to 350°F and bake for 10-12 minutes until tooth pick inserted in center comes out cleanly. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Before adding in the second tray, preheat the oven back up to 400°F before placing it in oven and repeat the baking process.

Cream Cheese Frosting (swiss meringue)

4 egg whites

pinch of salt

1 c Sugar

12 oz Cream Cheese, whipped

1 1/2 c Unsalted Butter, room temperature cut in cubes

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Place a saucepan with an inch of water over low heat and bring to a low simmer. In a large bowl add the egg whites and a pinch of salt, whisk until broken up and starts to foam slightly. Add in the sugar and whisk to combine. Place over the double boiler and whisk until the sugar is melted into the egg whites, it should feel smooth when rubbed between your fingers. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of your stand mixer.

Place the bowl in your mixer and whisk on high for 10-12 minutes until the bottom of the bowl is cool to the touch, slowly start adding in the butter and cream cheese two to three cubes at a time until all is incorporated. The mixture may look curdled for a moment but keep mixing until it comes back together. It may take 2-5 minutes, just keep watching it. Once the mixture comes back together slowly drizzle in the vanilla, and then the melted chocolate, keep whisking until well combined. For immediate use place into a piping bag and decorate cooled cupcakes as desired. For later use refrigerate for 2-3 days bringing up to room temperature and whisking in your stand mixture before use. Or, you can freeze up to a month, bringing to room temperature and whisking to smooth out prior to use.

9 thoughts on “Nutella Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting”

Oh my God – please apply for a job at my company!… pleeease? I’ll be 29 in December. If you applied now you could get over here and settled just in time to make me my birthday cupcake bonanza. I so want to schlurk all that cream-cheese right off the top!

Thanks for the tip about baking it at a higher temperature for 5 minutes to get a better dome shape. I’m looking forward to trying it.

By the way – I once doubled a chocolate cup cake recipe (thinking I’d need plenty as I was also taking them to work) not realising it was already a double batch. I ended up with over 40 cupcakes! So totally understand your suprise on that one.